A Night to Remember - Criterion Collection

Starring:Kenneth More, Ronald Allen, Robert Ayres, Honor Blackman, Anthony Bushell, John Cairney, Jill Dixon, Jane Downs, James Dyrenforth, Michael Goodliffe, Kenneth Griffith, Harriette Johns, Frank Lawton, Richard Leech, David McCallum, Alec McCowen, Tucker McGuire, John Merivale, Ralph Michael, Laurence Naismith
Director: Roy Ward Baker
Studio: Criterion
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Two years after Twentieth Century Fox released its melodramatic disaster film Titanic in 1953, Walter Lord's meticulously researched book A Night to Remember surprised its publishers by becoming a phenomenal bestseller. Lord had an intuition that readers craved the reality of the Titanic disaster, and not the romantically mythologized translations that relied on fictional characters to enhance the world's worst maritime disaster. Lord's book proved that truth is far more compelling than fiction. Three years after it appeared, the book was brought to the screen with the kind of riveting authenticity he had insisted upon in his own research. The 1958 British production of A Night to Remember remains a definitive dramatization of the disaster, adhering to the known facts of the time and achieving a documentary-like immediacy that matches (and in some ways surpasses) the James Cameron epic released 39 years later. The film erroneously perpetuates the once-common belief that Titanic sunk in one piece (instead of breaking in half as its bow began to plunge), but many other misconceptions are accurately corrected, and the intelligent screenplay by thrill-master Eric Ambler is a model of factual suspense. By making Titanic the star of the film, director Roy Baker emphasizes the excessive confidence of the booming industrial age and creates an intense realism that pays tribute to Walter Lord's tenacious quest for truth. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

A Night to Remember.......2007-06-25

By far the best movie ever made about the Titanic tragedy, Baker's riveting, semi-documentary "Night" is based on the bestselling book by Walter Lord, and brings us closer to knowing what the journey must have been like than any version before or since. Unlike other studio takes on the story, Baker sticks to real-life details, crafting an intelligent, suspenseful re-enactment of the fateful night, while glimpsing many human stories behind the disaster. Featuring lavish costumes and exquisite production design, as well as a cast of more than 200 actors, "Night" is a high-seas outing you'll remember for a long time.

One of the Best Titanic Movies.......2007-06-08

If you are interested in the Titanic, this movie is highly recommended and a must own. While not a documentary, this drama is about as close as you can get to one (there is some dramatic license.) The script is right out of Walter Lord's brilliant book "A Night to Remember." The sets are very close to the the actual ship. The dialogue is pretty much what was said that night. Watching this dvd, you will see many instances where James Cameron pays homage to it in his "Titanic". The audio commentary on this film is really good and the bonus documentary "Making of" is a good watch too. It's filmed in B&W, which gives it a historical feel. A bit pricey, but splurge on it!

Cold hard facts,thrilling movie.......2007-03-13

There isn't any "heart will go on" , no lovers from different class levels , and other than the mistake(before the wreck was found)of having the ship go down in one piece, this movie hits all the right notes. With just the known facts, and a cast of British actors that are not that well known this super black & white movie pulls you into the story and never treats you like you are stupid. the fact that Walter Lords book is used as the guide helps get the history right and still gives you a thrilling and heart breaking movie of "if only " and "could have been's". this a first rate movie that belongs beside "titanic" in your collection.

What? No closed captioning? No subtitles? .......2007-02-13

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but is this another Criterion Collection DVD--WITHOUT closed captioning or subtitles (SDH - subtitled for the deaf and hard-of-hearing)? One would think that all Criterion Collection DVDs would be released with CC/subtitles/SDH. The 1953 TITANIC film has both. So does the 1997 version. Is it just a matter of cost, or is Criterion simply unconcerned about the deaf and hard-of-hearing watching their films? I'll buy this DVD only if I can confirm that it has subtitles/CC/SDH...

Historical Accuracy.......2007-02-06

Thank GOD this is not a stupid love story!

For the most part, this is the best TITANIC epic on film. Although accuracy is questionable, the first half is kind of a bore. This deals more with the ship and its' sinking rather than a dumb love story between a rich girl and an orphan kid. But this version was filmed before the knowledge of the ship splitting in half down the middle before finally sinking.

Oh, and one last thing: During the actual sinking, I didn't sense much urgancy or chaos like the 1997 Titanic. I beleive the chaos was more accuarate in Cameron's Titanic.

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